Gift of the Huntsman
by Oblivion's Edge
Summary: During one of her hunting trips the Khajiit Morgan decides to try something different. This catches the attention of a certain Daedric Prince. A journey of danger and consequences awaits the young huntress.


Note: The only things I own are the characters Morgan and Grimclaw, two of the animal types in the story, and the idea for the story. Skyrim and any related characters and places belong to Bethesda.

* * *

><p>It was a peaceful day in the wilds of Skyrim. A lone deer was grazing near the base of the Throat of the World. As the wind picked up it raised its head to sniff the air, looking for potential danger. After making sure it was safe it moved closer to feed on a bush that grew beneath some high rocks. If it only knew. Above the rocks, skillfully hidden in the environment, was a hunter. Slowly and carefully she aimed at the deer with her bow, just as she had done so many other times. Too many times in fact, she had hunted so often that the usual method started getting... boring. It was time for a bigger challenge. She moved the bow away and instead took out her dagger, shifting in a more favorable position. Once the deer was in the right spot she wasted no time and leaped onto its back. The frightened animal shrieked and took off, jumping and kicking out, desperately trying to get the hunter off its back. But the huntress wouldn't get off so easy, digging her claws into the animal's flesh and hanging on, waiting for an opportunity to strike. After a few minutes she found enough hold and balance, not wasting any more time she struck the blade into the animal's neck. The deer thrashed even more at that, but she clung on, pulling the blade out and plunging it into the flesh again. With each new wound the animal's thrashing became weaker and soon the deer collapsed. The huntress stood up and removed the cowl from her head. She was a Khajiit, somewhere in her early twenties, with pitch black fur and white markings, dark brown hair fell just below her shoulders, and fiery orange eyes which scanned her new kill. What she had done this time was quite risky and could have easily gotten her killed. But she didn't care, she needed some change. Even if her body won't be thankful for that, all the thrashing from the deer got her several bruises, and she could already feel he muscles ache. But she'll take care of that later.<p>

Removing the dagger from the dead animal she then proceeded to skin and gut it. She would never let a kill go to waste. By the time she was done the sun was beginning to set, so she decided to camp there. She sat on a log and watched the fire as it slowly cooked a piece of venison. Looking back at the other raw flesh a strange thought passed through her mind. She kept staring at it, thinking the whole idea over. But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat. She took a piece of the raw meat and bit into it. It was... odd. Definitely not what she was used to, cold and lacking any spices, and really tough to chew. She honestly couldn't decide whether she liked it or not. She put that piece to cook with the other over the fire. What in Oblivion was she thinking, the only thing she got from that was that her hands and muzzle were stained with blood again. She sighed and continued looking at the fire, not caring to clean the blood. Suddenly her attention was drawn away from the flickering flames as she heard a voice.

_Well met, hunter._

Immediately alert she shot up, her sword and dagger drawn and ready to strike. But there was no one around. Even with her enhanced night vision she still couldn't see anyone.

_Always alert and ready to strike, good. A true hunter never drops his guard._

With that said a white spectral stag emerged from the darkness, standing right in front of the huntress.

_Who are you?_

She asked tentatively, really hoping this wasn't the deer king or something who came to punish her for killing his kin. That's the last thing she needed, being haunted by her prey.

_You already know of me, mortal. I am the Great Hunter, the Spirit of the Hunt itself!... But to your kin I am mostly known as Hircine._

Suddenly the young huntress thought that she would have better chances dealing with the deer king. She couldn't believe it. This was Hircine, the Huntsman of the Princes, Father of Manbeasts. Before her stood one of the sixteen Daedric Princes. She had read a lot about the Daedra, was in fact very interested in their kin. But up until now she never actually met one, and she especially didn't expect to meet a Prince.

_Lord Hircine... Why have you come to me? Do you plan to kill me?_

She lowered her weapons but still kept a tight grip on them as she chuckled. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance, but if she died tonight she wouldn't go down without a fight.

_Rest assured, young hunter, I am not here to take your life. No, I've been watching you. You are different than most hunters._

_What do you mean?_

_What you did in your last hunt was quite... Interesting. You could have easily slain that deer with bow and arrow, yet instead you decided to take a far more risky way. Your prey could have gotten away, or you could have easily become the prey yourself. So why did you pounce on the deer as if you were a wild beast yourself?_

Why indeed? Truth be told, hunting didn't hold the excitement anymore it did when she first started. It had become repetitive, in most cases she could slay her prey before it even noticed her. So, what should she say now? Saying that hunting had become boring to her would be like directly insulting Hircine. And then he might decide to kill her after all.

_Whether you tell me or not, it doesn't matter. I've seen you hunt before, from your first to your latest hunt. Like I see all hunts. I know the motives for your actions. At least when it comes to the hunt. But now I really am curious why you decided to taste the raw flesh._

_How do you know about that? You only watch over the hunts, not what happens afterwards._

_Like I said, I've been watching you, ever since your latest hunt. Tell me, do you wish to know what it feels to be a true hunter?_

_I am a hunter._

_But not one by soul and blood. There is far more to it than your mortal mind can comprehend. I can show you though. So, I ask again, do you wish to know what it's like to be a true hunter?_

_... Yes._

At that she could swear she heard the Prince chuckle.

_What is your name?_

With all the things Hircine already knew about her it was quite a surprise that he didn't seem to know her name. Daedra seem to be a strange folk.

_I am Morgan._

_Well then, hunter Morgan. You have three days to travel to the woods northwest of Falkreath, seek a rock formation with a deer skull carved into it. Once the full moon rises I shall open the path for you. Until we meet again, young hunter._

And with that, Hircine vanished.

It seemed to be yet another peaceful day, the sun was shining, the birds chirping, and the children running around like headless chickens. Truly Whiterun hasn't changed a bit from when she was last here. Morgan barely slept last night, the meeting with Hircine replaying in her head over and over again. She met a Daedric Prince, a real Daedric Prince, and she lives to tell the tale. But she definitely won't go around bragging about it. It would most likely get her in jail, or executed. Even if she technically wasn't a Daedra worshiper. She had to think about Hircine's offer. Showing her what it's like to be a true hunter, what did he mean by that? She knew that he was the creator of werewolves, so maybe he planned to turn her into one as well. But that would mean that she would have to join his realm after she died. And she wasn't really sure that she wanted that, even if she didn't have any plans for her afterlife yet. On the other hand, becoming a werewolf could prove quite useful. Still, she will see what happens when the time comes.  
>Once she sold the leftover meat and the deerskin she went to rent a carriage to take her to Falkreath. She didn't have much time left.<p>

By the time she arrived at Falkreath it was already getting dark, so she went to the inn to rent a room for the night. Tomorrow morning it'll be off to the woods, she didn't know how hard those rocks will be to find. And she'd rather not miss her chance because she couldn't find the agreed meeting spot.  
>Of course she slept in that morning, so once she reached the woods it was already past noon. The day went on normally, fighting off wolves and bears, catching a rabbit for dinner, and looking for said rocks. She had to break off the search when the sun began to set again. Searching in the dark would be pointless, and it's best to set up a camp before nightfall.<br>The night passed without any incidents. It's usually quite dangerous to camp in the woods without someone to watch out for danger. But she had faith in the traps she laid down, mainly cause they were magical. And even if the traps failed, the noise would have been enough to wake her up, and she always kept her weapons nearby.  
>Upon exiting the tent she realized that she had been camping near a rock formation she hadn't checked out yet. It almost looked as if it was once part of some structure. But whatever it was it's been destroyed ages ago. And there it was, neatly carved into the stone was the deer skull. This had to be the place Hircine meant.<br>Now that she had found it she basically had the day off. She spent it preparing for whatever Hircine might have planned. Checking her potions and gathering some more ingredients and medical herbs. Sharpening her weapons and also of course hunting for the day and for a few extra supplies. When the sun began setting she was ready.  
>She waited for quite some time, but nothing seemed to happen. Hircine was nowhere in sight, neither had she heard him. Maybe this wasn't the right place after all? But she decided to give it some more time. And once the moon shone in its full glory the stone formation began to glow, the part with the carved deer skull vanishing, revealing a secret tunnel. Gazing into the dark tunnel she couldn't see anything, her night vision seeming useless. The only thing she saw besides the darkness was a fain red shimmer, like a soft fog. It didn't look all too inviting, and even less safe. But it was now or never, she had made up her mind, and stepped into the darkness.<p>

The first thing she noticed when she came out the other side was that she was not dead. At least she thought she wasn't. The other thing was that it wasn't night anymore, but dusk again. And instead of the woods she was now in a grassy plain. Turning around to where she came from there wasn't a rock formation, but a shrine with the statue of a horned wolf. She didn't had much time to ponder on it as she heard a growl from behind her. She instantly turned around with her weapons drawn, but the creature she saw was nothing she expected. At first glance it seemed like a huge bear standing on its hind legs, but it soon became clear that it was built to walk on two legs. Like a mix of man and bear. The beast snarled at her and swiped with its great paws, lethal claws barely missing Morgan's skin as she jumped back. She ran behind the shrine, trying to get some ground, but the beast was quick to follow. They danced around the shrine for a while, Morgan managed to get a few cuts on the beast, yet they were so minor that the thing didn't even react. And if she got any closer to the creature it was sure to tear her to bits.  
>The beast suddenly stopped its attacks as the sun completely set, with yet another full moon shining in the sky. The bear-man tilted its head slightly and seemed to listen to something. Now that there was some pressure off her, Morgan started slowly walking backwards, trying to win some more ground. Yet while she looked at the beast she noticed something else. In the distance there seemed to be something like a keep, odd she hadn't seen it earlier. The brief pause seemed over though as the bear focused on Morgan again and, to her great surprise, grinned. It lunged at her and was near to striking as suddenly the call of a loud hunting horn echoed through the area. The bear tilted its head to the keep again and snarled, it looked back to Morgan and with one last threatening roar ran off. Morgan stared dumbfounded at the fleeing creature, not understanding what was happening. Soon her line of though was broken as several howls filled the night. She took it as a bad sign, if that was what the bear was afraid of then it would be best for her to get away as fast as possible. Scanning her surroundings she saw a forest nearby and started running towards it.<br>The howls came from that keep, which means that she had some time to hide in this forest before the wolves, or whatever those things were, got here. She ran and ran but couldn't find any good hiding spot. She had the bad feeling that simply climbing on a tree would be a bad idea. The sound of the howls was soon drawing closer and she slowly began to panic. Then she spotted one rocky formation, if she was lucky there would be a cave for her to hide. No such luck, but she did spot a crack in the rocks where she could hide. She cut a bush off the ground and slipped into the crack, using the bush to hide the entrance. Sadly the crack wasn't all too deep, so she could only hope those things weren't smart enough to look behind the bush. Minutes seemed like hours and the howls have come really close, her heart stopped for a moment when she heard footsteps outside her hideout. There was something there sniffing, searching. She couldn't see much of it, but she did recognize a wolfish muzzle sticking through the bush. It could smell her, hide and seek was over. With no other option she stabbed the wolf's muzzle with her dagger and the beast retreated howling in pain. She charged out with her blade drawn, ready to finish it off. But she stopped as soon as she saw the beast. This was no simple wolf, it was a werewolf, and it was angry. Roaring at her it leaped for attack, she barely managed to evade it, but it didn't seem to be any use. It swiftly changed direction and leaped again, pinning her to the ground this time. Thinking fast she brought up her sword just in time to block the beast's jaws. It bit down onto the sword to keep it from cutting into it's mouth and pressed on. It was definitely stronger than her, there was no way she could hold it off for much longer.

_Halt!_

The voice was loud and strong, upon hearing it the werewolf abruptly stopped its attack and retreated. When Morgan got up again she was met with an even more helpless situation, now there was a whole pack of werewolves there. But also someone else. Amongst the beasts stood a man, much taller than any mortal men or mer, and his skin had the oddest of colors, patterned like a fawn's hide. His armor consisted of nothing more but boots and some kind of navy blue toga which left most of his body exposed. He wielded a hunting spear which looked capable of taking down a dragon. What stood out the most though was the helm he wore, a mask made of a deer's skull. Then it clicked in her head and she realized who it was.

_Hircine..._

The Prince gave her a slight nod before turning to his werewolves.

_This young hunter shall accompany us in tonight's hunt. She is not the prey, so make sure that there are no... accidents. Now, go!_

With that all the werewolves ran off, only that one who she just fought with turned to her and cast her a threatening growl before joining his brethren in the hunt. Hircine then turned back to Morgan and spoke.

_Good to see that you made it. But it's bad that you got into a fight with Grimclaw. He's a formidable hunter, but no fan of mortals. And he always ends what he has begun. You should try to stay out of his way._

_Thanks for the warning... So, you invited me here to hunt with you?_

_Yes. You have proven to be a very good hunter on Nirn, yet now it's time to see how good you really are. The beasts in my realm are different than those from the mortal plane. Here lies the true challenge. We will see if you really have what it takes to be a true hunter._

_Alright, I'm ready. Is there anything specific I should hunt for?_

_Hmm... We have no set target for tonight. But since you're here to prove yourself it would be best you do get a task._

Hircine then went quiet for a bit, deep in though. A couple minutes later he spoke up again.

_Yes, I know what would be a worthy target for this test. Now, go out into the woods, and hunt down the snark._

And with those words the Prince vanished, running off to hunt with his hounds.  
>Morgan stayed exactly where she was, staring at where Hircine ran off, and wondered, really truly wondered, whether he was messing with her. Did the Lord of the Hunt really just tell her to go hunt snark?<p>

She spent the following hour stalking the woods, trying to find some prey and at the same time avoid the werewolves. Especially this so called Grimclaw. But so far she had no luck finding anything. Which was no wonder, with so many werewolves around and Hircine at their lead, the animals must have all gone into hiding. Soon she came to the bank of a river, it seemed like the best spot to look for prey. She made sure to keep out of sight as she slowly made her way upstream. After several minutes she found something, it appeared to be a stag drinking from the river, but it was much bigger than any she's seen on Nirn. Not to mention that it had a long fox-like tail. Remembering her last hunt she promptly decided that she would definitely not try that same shit this time. In this realm it's better safe than sorry. She drew her bow and took aim, soon she let the arrow fly which impaled itself into the animal's side. Howling in pain the beast snapped its head in Morgan's direction and snarled. Since when did stags have fangs? If she had been on Nirn that shot would have killed the animal, she was not on Nirn. And that became very clear when the stag charged at her. And with that another chase began. Another difference between the stags from Nirn and this one was that the one here was also a lot faster. Seeing no other way out she quickly climbed on a tree, barely getting her tail out of reach when the stag snapped at it. The beast charged at the tree, and tore at it with its front claws. Yes, claws, its back legs had hooves, but the front ones were paws. If it kept up the attacks it would only be a matter of time till she lost balance and fell off. She had to do something, quick. The idea she got was so stupid that she couldn't believe it herself, but she had no other choice. Drawing her bow again she fired another shot at the animal, this time hitting it in the shoulder. The beast snarled in pain as it looked at the new wound, giving Morgan the opportunity she needed. She leaped off the tree and right onto the beast's back. The creature immediately started thrashing and went into a mad run. Morgan wrapped one arm around the animal's neck while she grabbed one of its horns with the other. With that she was able to get somewhat of a hold while at the same time she could keep the beast from turning its head and snapping at her.  
>The thrashing went on and on, this time there was no chance she would be able to draw her dagger and wound it that way, but if it kept thrashing like this it won't take long for it to throw her down. Another stupid idea came to her mind, but yet again it could work. With that she covered the stag's eyes with her arms, trying to hold on as best she could as the beast started running around aimlessly. Soon she saw that they were charging at some kind of cave, if the beast kept running like that it might crash against the wall of the cave and thus kill itself, or at least be stunned enough for her to either kill it or flee. She closed her eyes once they entered the cave, expecting to feel the crash any second. Somehow you never get what you bargained for. The animal didn't directly crash into anything, more like it tripped over something. Soon Morgan and the stag were both sent flying. She hit the ground hard and was dazed for a moment, it was so dark that she couldn't see anything, but she could hear the stag's cries. Then she heard a growl, and something big flying past her. With that the cries of the stag grew panicked and pained, the sound of tearing flesh soon filling the cave as well. Morgan took the chance to sneak out of the cave before that other thing decides to go after her as well. Once she reached the exit the cries of the stag had completely died down. But then there was that growl.<br>Slowly looking back she was met with six shining eyes staring at her from the darkness.  
>She ducked just in time to avoid the creature pouncing on her. The thing which landed a few feet away from her was something she's never seen before. The body was that of a great cat yet the head resembled the of a boar. It had four front and two back legs, and there were spikes growing from its back and shoulders. Its body was lean yet muscular, covered in short fur, and the tail grew thinner by the end, resembling a lizard's. As she's seen before, the thing had six eyes, and many sharp teeth. The beast charged at her and swiped with its mighty paws, but Morgan was able to block most of the attacks with her sword and dagger, dealing some minor damage to the creature and also minimizing her own injuries. But she knew this wouldn't be enough, especially when the beast started leaping at her again, she had to dodge every attack, else it would have finished her off easily. During its next leap she dodged to the side and impaled her dagger into its shoulder. It howled in pain, and while it was distracted Morgan took the opportunity to flee. She would hide behind trees and wait for it to run past to leave long cuts on its sides. But unfortunately it grew smarter, and the next time she heard it approaching it was not coming from either side of the tree, but from above. In the very last second she thrust her sword upwards which impaled itself deeply through the creature's open maw. She fell to the ground as the creature landed on her, and with a few last whimpers it became still. She slowly slipped out from underneath the dead beast. She could hardly believe that she managed to slay the creature, even if it was through pure luck. Her body hurt, the impact was quite strong, and she started feeling a strong pain in her chest, she worried even more when she coughed up some blood. Not good, she might have broken a rib. She looked around for her bag before realizing it was still under that creature. Luckily she could see the strap and was able to recover the bag, but that's when her luck left her. The bag was dripping wet and clinking oddly.<p>

_No, no, no , NO!_

She opened the bag only to meet with the bitter truth, the impact and weight of the creature has broken the potion bottles. She knelt on the ground and shook the contents out of the bag. Amongst the pile of shards, ruined food, and wet herbs, was a single whole bottle. She quickly snatched the potion and drank it in one go. Her last healing potion, and to her luck it was one of the more potent ones. She could feel the warmth of the liquid, and the pain of her wounds intensified. She collapsed to the ground and tried to breathe steadily. After some minutes the pain faded to a dull ache. The worst was over, the only pain remaining was from no lethal wounds. But she still couldn't get the taste of her own blood out of her mouth. After spending a couple minutes trying to pull her sword out of the beast's skull, she headed back to the river.  
>It wasn't all too far, but instead of the place she was before she was now at the river's spring. The stag must have carried her all the way upstream during its mad run. She knelt by the spring and began to flush out her mouth, then she took a healthy drink from the water, hoping it wouldn't be poisonous for her. Yet it was refreshing, and surprisingly energizing. She just began to wash her face as she was suddenly knocked to the ground. She looked up alerted and was met with a deadly glare from the same werewolf she dealt with earlier.<p>

_Grimclaw... What are you doing! Hircine told you that I am not the prey._

_Neither are you the hunter, you puny mortal._

The words came out like an angry hiss.

_I am here to prove myself. Lord Hircine said he will show me how to be a true hunter._

_You?! Don't make me laugh, those like you have no place amongst my kin. You mortals are nothing but weaklings and cowards. You have neither teeth nor claw to defend yourself. You are all a disgrace!_

_Hircine seems to think different. And you are wrong, I do have claws to protect myself, I only lack the proper fangs. And I am neither a weakling nor a coward. If I was a coward I wouldn't have come here in the first place. And if I was a weakling I wouldn't have survived till now. I deserve a chance!_

_Enough! Hircine made a mistake when he allowed you to enter the Hunting Grounds, and I will fix this mistake now!_

With that, Grimclaw charged at Morgan, but she managed to block him with her sword.

_I don't want to fight you!_

His reply was a loud roar and another attack. Morgan dodged to the side but still got a cut on her shoulder. For a moment she considered running again, trying to escape. But her body wouldn't obey, she had enough. Ever since she came here she was nothing but prey to all the bigger and stronger beasts. Enough was enough. When Grimclaw turned back he was met with the sword cutting a deep line across his chest. He covered the wound with one hand and snarled at Morgan, attacking with a swipe of his other hand. She blocked it with the sword and swiftly stabbed his arm with her dagger. Now that really pissed him off and he pounced. Morgan threw herself back and kicked up, hitting Grimclaw in the abdomen and giving his leap a boost so that he flew over her. Getting back on her feet she immediately charged at him, he was unprepared for this attack, so he barely managed to dig his claws into her side as the sword pierced his heart. His expression was that of disbelief, and in a last moment of anger he dragged his claws across her abdomen before collapsing. Shocked Morgan immediately let go of the sword and clutched her wound. She really wished she still had that potion. She tried to recall what little she knew of magic to try and heal herself. Yet her skill was near to nonexistent when it came to healing, so she only managed to buy herself some more time. But if this wound wasn't taken care of soon, she was sure to die.  
>A rustling came from the bushes and soon three more werewolves entered the scene. All three were shocked to find one of their brothers dead. They immediately glared at Morgan, growling threateningly, getting ready to pounce.<p>

_He attacked first!_

Speaking hurt, but there was no other way for her to get out alive of this situation. There was no way she could take on three werewolves at once, even if she were at full health.

_You lie! Grimclaw would never disrespect Hircine's orders!_

One shouted, this one sounded almost feminine.

_I am not lying, he attacked me, he decided that I was not worthy to hunt with you._

_And you definitely aren't if you kill our own kin!_

_Calm down._

The one speaking now was the biggest werewolf of the group, he also seemed much older than the others, and had many scars, as well as one missing eye.

_You all know damn well Grimclaw's opinion about mortals, and you also know that he will always do what he believes is right. Even against our Lord's orders. And do I also need to remind you all that we werewolves aren't spared death from another's hand just because we hunt alongside the Prince? Whether we are hunter or prey is all a matter of the situation._

Thank Oblivion, finally someone who can be argued with.

_What should we do with her then? She could still be lying._

_We will take her to Hircine, he will know the truth._

The old werewolf walked to Morgan, crouching down next to her and motioning for her to get on his back. She wasn't sure whether she could trust him, but she didn't really have any other option. She climbed on his back, holding onto his fur with one hand while she still kept the other pressed to her wound. The werewolf stood up with ease, the extra weight apparently not bothering him, and soon they were off.  
>She was doing her best to keep her balance, but it was really hard with just one hand, and the wild ride didn't do much good to her would either. Minutes later they arrived at a clearing with some high rocks in the middle. Werewolves have gathered with their prey all around the place. This was apparently their meeting spot. Morgan got off the werewolf's back and walked a few steps, looking around she could only see the other werewolves, but not Hircine.<p>

_Well met, hunter._

The voice came from somewhere above, rising her head she finally saw him. Atop the high rocks was Hircine, sitting on the corpse of some weird mammoth with ten tusks and only one eye. The Daedra was just cleaning the blood from his spear when Morgan arrived with the werewolves. He stood up and jumped from the rocks to stand in front of the young Khajiit.

_So, you have slain Grimclaw._

At that all the werewolves turned to Morgan, shocked by the news. So far things weren't going in her favor, and the pain of her injury was getting worse.

_Grimclaw attacked me... I only defended myself._

_I know. I witness all hunts._

Hircine then turned to his werewolves and spoke loud enough to be sure that everyone heard him.

_Today we have lost a brother, he fell in the hunt. He hunted a prey which turned the tables and became the hunter herself. Grimclaw won't be forgotten, but now it's time to welcome a new hunter._

He turned back to Morgan.

_As for your other accomplishments in the hunt... Sadly the sattros doesn't count, you might have attacked it, but it was not your kill. But it doesn't matter, for you have accomplished the task I have given you. You have successfully hunted the snark!_

Morgan briefly forgot her pain at those words. That thing she found in the cave, was actually a real snark?! Partially she wasn't even sure why she's surprised anymore.

_You have played the role of both, hunter and prey. You've slain a mighty beast and a skilled hunter. You have proven yourself worthy of the gift of lycanthropy. So that after your passing you may join me and my pack in these Hunting Grounds. ... Which, given your current condition, won't take all too long._

So this was it, that was Hircine's plan all along. She wasn't really surprised, she kinda expected that this would be how her journey here would end. Becoming a lycanthrope... She's been thinking about it, yet she was never sure if that really is what she wanted. She can't deny, there is a bit of a yearning for becoming like the werewolves. To know what it is to be a true hunter. But there is one thing which makes it impossible for her to accept.

_I am sorry Hircine, but I cannot accept your offer. I wish to be free to choose my own place in the afterlife._

The silence that filled the air made a chill go down her spine. She was really wondering what expression Hircine hid under that mask.

_Ah, so you think you will find something grander than my Hunting Grounds? There is no better afterlife for a hunter. What do you expect of your afterlife? Sovngarde? Are you really out for leaving your talents to waste like that?_

At that he stepped closer to her and looked her in the eyes.

_... You don't even know what you want._

He circled around her until he stood behind her. She immediately tensed up at that. Now he spoke in a much lower tone, almost whispering.

_That wound looks really bad, you won't make it much longer. It's a shame, but there seems to be no other option. Go and find your afterlife._

One moment she was still wondering what he meant, and the other she was staring at the head of his spear protruding from her chest. The shock wouldn't allow her to scream, she stood there frozen in place as the blood began pouring from he mouth. Hircine retracted the spear and Morgan collapsed to the ground. Almost. She was in a kneeling position, somehow still able to hold herself up with one hand while the other... Was gripping tightly the steel dagger stuck in his abdomen. He hadn't even noticed it, truly remarkable will and speed. She looked at him, a strong will burning even in those dying eyes, but eventually her hold on the dagger loosened and she collapsed to the floor. And although obviously dying, she was still somehow holding on to life.

_I see..._

He pulled out the dagger before continuing.

_You drank from the spring, haven't you? That was an unfortunate move for you. You see, it gives strength to anyone who drinks from it. Sadly now it will only prolong your death. Real shame since I wanted to end your misery quickly._

Everything was buzzing in her head, her vision blurring and slipping in and out of blackness. She could barely breathe, and whenever she did it made a pathetic whimpering noise. Tears began gathering in her eyes from the pain as her life drained out bit by bit. She tried to glimpse at Hircine, but her vision became so bad that she couldn't even see him properly anymore. Hircine just stood there and watched in silence.

_... No, you would be too much of a waste._

With that he raised his right arm and using Morgan's dagger he slit his wrist. He then dropped the bloody dagger to free his left hand and place it over the wound. Soon a red, fog-like energy began seeping out of the wound and gathering in his open palm until it formed into an orb.

_Hone your skills, young hunter. For when the day of your passing comes we shall meet again in fair battle to determine your fate._

He dropped the orb over Morgan's dying form and as it descended it gained the shape of a wolf which leaped hungrily at her. This time she did scream as the burning pain consumed her body. Her vision turned bright white, and then faded to black together with the pain.

The sound of crickets woke her. She blinked several times, it felt like she was asleep for a long time. It was really dark and she couldn't tell where she was, but once her night vision kicked in she noticed she was back at the stone structure. She wondered how long she had been gone, it was full moon when she went to the Hunting Grounds, but currently the moon was covered by clouds. As the realization hit her she immediately checked on her wounds. Nothing. Not a single scratch was on her and she began to wonder whether it was all just a dream. But then she realized that her armor was torn in the places where the wounds were supposed to be. It was definitely not a dream. But it was hard to remember what exactly happened after Hircine plunged that spear through her chest. The memory was hazy, but she slowly began to recall his words.  
>Then she felt an odd tingling and an urge to look up, the clouds have gone and the full moon hung there in all its beauty. Her fur stood on edge and she just couldn't tear her eyes from it. It was almost as if it was calling to her, a faint song deep in the back of her mind. And then Hircine's words and his final action finally set in. She grinned as the transformation began. Her muzzle grew while her tail shortened, her muscles expanding as her body began to shift, entirely breaking her leather armor in the process. Seconds later the Khajiit was gone, and now a werewolf took its place. Ebony fur, and that same orange eyes which now shone even brighter. She jumped onto the stone structure and unleashed a powerful howl to the moon. She accepts her new life, and when the time comes she will battle Hircine to gain the freedom to choose her destiny. Thousand songs of the forest rang harmonically in her ears as she leaped from the rocks and ran off into the woods, joining in with her own melody.<br>She could already smell the prey.


End file.
